Aum sets up more than 10 business entities

Kyodo News/April 16, 2004

Tokyo -- Aum Shinrikyo has set up more than 10 business entities across Japan purportedly to help victims of its past crimes but the intention is really to increase its revenues, the Justice Ministry's Public Security Investigation Agency said in a report released Friday.

The report said the entities, some of them computer software companies, are run by live-in followers of the group, which renamed itself Aleph in January 2000. Some AUM followers have also taken up jobs at regular companies and have been contributing part of their salaries to the group, it said.